


family

by caballero_meta



Category: Kirby (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Parent-Child Relationship, Pre-KRtDL, galacta uses they/them, galadad and magoson, magolors species is called gahos, ocs are just there for a few lines, snippets in chronological order
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:00:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27635117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caballero_meta/pseuds/caballero_meta
Summary: AU. Sometimes family is an ancient warrior orb and a weird cat son.
Relationships: Galacta Knight & Magolor
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

Every time they saw light, their fists clenched around the spear and shield, shoulders rose, ready to thrust the weapon forward, towards whatever enemy or nightmare they would be face to face. Again. All change around them meant a fight, as it could only mean they were being set free out of the crystal.

But they would always go back to it. No matter what they fought, they always lost, they were sealed over and over.

Or maybe, they never were unsealed. Perhaps all visions, blurs of colors and magic, were nightmares, or a most desperate attempt of their mind to give itself something to do, but being so strained it kept coming up with the same scenarios over and over. Without movement in years, without light in centuries, without hearing anything but clockwork around them, perhaps their mind was teething closer to hallucinations than what they would like to admit. Perhaps the hits and wounds weren't real, just dull pain from not moving their muscles in so long.

Hell if they knew. It didn't matter that much anyway, it would always be the same thing.

With that same feeling of defeat, Galacta Knight looked at the bright orange and red of...wherever they were. Flames and lava illuminated the landscape, the warm light stretching as far as it could in the middle of the night. Seeing the stars shining above, the puffball took a deep breath of cool air and volcanic ash. It wasn't exactly idyllic, but anything was far more preferable than a crystal prison.

Strangely, it wasn't familiar. It wasn't like other summonings. 

Because they saw…no foe.

Blinking, they slowly lowered the spear and their shoulders. Every time they were released, they saw a puffball. Armored or a child, but either way, they had to fight someone who's skill matched their's.

They turned around with a jolt, wings picking up dust from the ground and gripping their weapon again, thinking for a second that perhaps, only perhaps, the foe would be behind them. But no. All they could see were pink shards on the ground, and the outline of a grand volcano in the distance, spewing grey smoke into the black sky.

The silence was deafening, the emptiness of their surroundings made their stomach turn with disbelief, the stars seemed to invite them to take to the skies. Nothing and no one to fight. Nothing that could seal them again. No orders to go, or to stay, no people cowering in fear or charging to attack.

Nothing they had seen before.

And the broken crystal by their feet that would've brought them to tears if the shock weren't freezing their mind in place.

Because Galacta Knight knew they were free.

And they wouldn't let anyone seal them again.

* * *

In a lonely spot of the world of fire, Galacta Knight carved holes in the ground. From raw fury they attacked rocks around them, striking with both shield and spear. They were no fool. The realization that they might never find who sealed them burnt a black hole into their mind, seared hatred and bitterness within their heart.

After all they had done. That was how they were repaid? 

They had been free for a few weeks by then. Yet, the thoughts and rage kept creeping back over and over. It gripped something inside of them and wouldn't let go. In the loneliness, the feeling of betrayal whispered them to destroy. To retaliate against everything and anything that lived in the universe.

But they wouldn't. They weren't a monster, no matter how much the people that sealed them insisted they were. They were powerful, a warrior that could destroy planets if they really tried, but Galacta still put life over their feelings.

They even took care to not strike rocks with mosses and plants growing on them. They did what they could to fly away from the planet's inhabitants when they spotted them, and they stayed clear away from the single city in the least volcanic part of the planet. It seemed irrational, but even in that ash-covered burning planet, life thrived. So Galacta would too.

Far away from any other sentient creature, as they still were unsure as to why they were free, and wouldn't take any chances of being trapped again.

They didn't need anything from anyone anyways. Their species was practically perfect for solitary lives in harsh environments, they could eat close to anything, even rocks if desperate, could fly long distances or over dangerous terrain, and Galacta /was/ the strongest warrior in the galaxy, nothing on the planet could truly pose a threat. And although it wasn't pleasant to shake ash from their wings every hour or so, they couldn't get themselves to leave. Yet.

For starters, they still did not know where they were. The planet wasn't recognizable, and thus, they didn't know what other planets were nearby, if there were any at all. Taking off to fly through space without supplies until they found a better planet to settle in was a possibility, but not a smart strategy. Not until they knew how far other planets were. Not to mention, they could very well be worse than the burning one. A cold or desertic planet, or a complete lack of living creatures, would be much, much worse. There at least, they could occasionally eat plants or unfortunate dead creatures (not everything avoided the lava and falling rocks as well as they did) instead of rocks. And they even found some water deep in caves scattered around the planet.

In caves was where they lived too. The outside could be beautiful, with that star speckled sky, but not exactly safe to rest in. The caverns offered a dark but cool shelter from dust and fire, as well as a quite intriguing place to explore. Flying through them wasn't easy, but walking and following the twists and turns was a way to spend time. It wasn't as if Galacta had much to do, just destroy rocks, eat and rest. A long time ago, they would've spent days training and honing their skills, but then? 

With how easily those they had fought to protect had turned against them, any drive to train was stifled. There simply was no reason. No desire. 

Just a cold resentment and blazing rage whenever they thought about it.

* * *

Noise in that planet was usually bubbling magma, crackling fire or meteors hitting the grounds. Sometimes, deep into the night, Galacta swore they heard the wind roar from the top of the volcano, and the fading echo of steps in the caves. Near the city, they were used to machinery and gears working loudly night and day, but the sounds made their skin crawl. They did not know what those engines powered, or why, but they didn't want to find out.

However, there was one sound that shook Galacta even more.

The sound of high pitched wailing, coming from the outside of a cave Galacta was exploring.

They felt an equal mix of curiosity, concern and apprehension at it. In such a dangerous planet, creatures getting hurt was not uncommon, they ran into several remains of unlucky inhabitants previously, and the fact it could be someone hurt twisted their heart over and over. On one hand, there was a possibility that, perhaps, with medical attention, if it were someone hurt, that they could recover. But on the other, it could be something gruesome and tragic to see, someone who only could be helped by being put out of their misery.

Yet, they couldn't leave it alone, it didn't feel right to turn around and find another exit. In either case they imagined, they could do something.

Their armor clicked against the rocks, a distictictly metallic sound that Galacta hoped would calm whatever was crying.

It did not, the crying got louder and louder, to the point they rushed out of the tunnel, despite the orange light blinding them for a second as they stepped outside, out of fear of being too late to help.

They almost ran past the bundle of a robe on the ground, with a small, small brown furry creature wrapped on it, screeching as loud as it could, as it tried to reach a small patch of moss on a rock wall.

The warrior's shoulders and eyes dropped, both relieved and underwhelmed. Well, at least there was no blood, or severed limbs. No bodies, no lava nearby. Not even meteors seemed to be raining in that corner of the planet.

Their eyes went wide and all relief snapped off when they realized that little thing was a child. In the middle of nowhere. On a volcanic planet burning nonstop. With no other living creature in sight.


	2. Chapter 2

For weeks they had avoided the city altogether, not wanting to be found and sealed and wanting to remember anything from those horrible machinery sounds. Even if the locals might've had information of the planet or its location in the universe, they already had embraced a life of solitude and hidden from any other creature.

But Galacta wasn't stupid, they couldn't keep a child, or worse, leave it alone to face the elementals. So, begrudgingly, they took the little creature on their arms, wrapped it on the robes it was tangled on, and took to the skies towards the city.

The thing didn't stop its high pitched caterwauling, and it even smacked at Galacta's mask with two tiny floating paws as if throwing a tantrum. Those two paws kept scratching the mask over and over and over-

One of Galacta's eye twitched, that was the only mask they had and chances of finding materials to make another one were close to none. Despite countless fights and close calls against unbelievably strong foes, they kept their armor in pristine condition. If the first to make a permanent scratch on it was a child, it would be way too ridiculous for their liking.

"Please. Shut up, child," The warrior whispered as they landed, but it was only met with the exact same crying. They didn't even know how something not even the size of their shield could make noise for so long.

It at least drew the attention of some creatures around. Galacta had made sure to land a few yards away from any building, and close to the edge of the city, for a quick getaway as soon as they gave the kid to whoever could find its family. But even on the edge, many different people seemed to be living there, which made Galacta tense up.

Some had wings, strange tails, or way too many limbs to be of the same species as the child they found. None of their expressions' were fearful however, much to Galacta's relief. Only confusion.

"Excuse me," Galacta spoke up, loudly and hoping they could hear them well without having to get close, "I found this child, would anyone know where I can find its family?"

They held up the child, but when most people saw it they just shook their heads. More people walked nearby, probably wondering what the loud crying was about, but they looked as confused as the rest.

Sighing, Galacta cradled the kid again, resigning themselves to fly off. The city was very large, perhaps they just had to ask in another place. 

They almost jumped into the sky when someone ran up to them. But the fact it was similar to the child made them stay. The brown fur and oval glowing eyes were a dead giveaway, even if the creature was hopelessly covered in robes. It even had floating paws, like the child.

"Oh, bright stars, is he ill? Do you need help?" The creature said in what Galacta thought was the strangest language they had ever heard. It was so similar to jamba, yet it was as if it was spoken by someone who had never spoken jamba before.

They stared for a few seconds, then sighed. Frankly, with how unfamiliar the planet was, they should've seen coming that the inhabitants' accent could be one unfamiliar too.

"I…am trying to find this child's family. Child's. Family," Galacta said, as clearly and slowly as they could. They knew jamba like the back on their hand, so maybe…something would be recognizable, "Can you help?"

The creature blinked then tilted its head, "I see…" It fumbled with its robe for a few moments before pulling out some herbs and handing them to the child. Galacta watched in surprise as the kid went quiet to the leaves quickly, they didn't expect the creature to continue speaking after all, "Why? If I may ask?"

"Why?" The puffball repeated confused, growing under the mask, "Because I found it alone near a cave. I believe it must be a lost child."

"Lost? Kittens don't get lost like that," The creature sighed, "Someone must've abandoned him…"

Their wings and shoulders dropped slightly, and they let out a sigh. It wasn't uncommon for their species, puffballs, to leave their young alone in the wilderness but they also were extremely resilient and adaptable creatures, not small crying furballs. The child -kitten- stared at Galacta with big yellow eyes and leaves still in his mouth. That wouldn't survive alone in practically a planet-sized volcano.

"That…I understand," Galacta fought the urge to sigh again, just thinking about it made them disillusioned, "Well then, where could I find someone who can take him in? An orphanage perhaps?"

The creature made a strange expression as it rubbed it's paws, "I'm afraid not. Um. Families do not tend to take in others' kittens, and there…aren't any orphanages. Most abandoned kits live in the streets."

Galacta could only stare and clutch the kitten. Somehow, the idea of a child living in such an industrialized and large city sat even worse with them than the child living in the more rocky areas of the planet. While flying, they had spotted roads several feet off the ground, huge machinery and generators exposed as if it were no big deal.

They looked back at the creature, then at the kitten again. So far, it hadn't offered to take the kitten and the warrior felt that if they asked, that the creature would decline.

But…they couldn't leave him alone.

The kitten started scratching at their mask again, and Galacta had an idea they felt they would regret.

"Very well," They took a deep breath, "…would you happen to have…any spare books about his species? I wish to learn as much as possible."

They could take care of the kitten for a while, then leave him alone when he was older and more capable of taking care of himself. After all, puffballs lived for a long, long time, and Galacta had nothing else to do. That time would be gone in the blink of an eye.

* * *

Both for better and for worse, out of all species in the volcanic planet they lived on, the kit's species, gahos, was the most long-lived one. By many thousands of years.

Galacta's plan of taking care of the kit for a short while got completely scratched off the board as they flipped page after page. They had taken a creature that lived close to a puffball's lifespan under their wing. Said creature also could hover off the ground freely from a young age, and that had an affinity for magic. Something that had to be trained and taught how to manage properly or they could lose the ability to develop their potential to its fullest.

Their body felt extremely heavy as the weight of their choice settled in. Taking care of an alien child for years, decades, centuries even, in a strange and dangerous planet. Alone.

But any idea of abandoning the kit was entirely out of question after they realized which streets the older gaho meant. It wasn't the upper part of the city, or Egg Engines as it was called, but the true, real city. A maze of tunnels, caves, rock and steel, buildings and pipes all underground. Surrounded by machinery on all sides and above, running factories nonstop day and night. Those streets, where the majority of the planet's inhabitants lived their daily lives, where the sun and stars didn't shine, but the smoke and ash didn't reach either. It was a shelter from the outside's environment, at the cost of a lot of freedom.

Just thinking about it made the warrior feel chills down their wings. They wouldn't have bared the claustrophobia of the closed space if the important buildings weren't down there. The only library was in the lower parts of the city to keep the books and scrolls secure, the same texts Galacta needed to become familiarized with.

Because while the gaho they met on the surface could give them some information, they needed to learn a lot more. A lot, lot more.

And they took the chance to research about the planet itself and its location in the universe. At first with the intention of travelling to a better place after watching the child for a while, but as that plan was turning more long-term than short-term, the idea was scrapped altogether.

At least, they had learnt that the planet's inhabitants had a very...mythological knowledge about the ancients. Not once had Galacta seen anything about heroes of yore, nor about the foes they fought in the past. Nothing about their imprisonment, nothing about their friends, jamba magic, nothing at all. 

To be forgotten so easily. It was disappointing, yet a relief. No one would be looking for them, no one would be afraid.

The most they had gotten were weird looks as they walked through the city, but it was to be expected. They probably were the first puffball anyone in the planet had ever seen, not to mention they were a bright pink, masked, winged stranger with a child in their arms, and a spear and shield strapped to their back.

Yet, people didn't care. They continued on their way after a few seconds of confusion, no one stopped them to ask anything, not even in the library. Which made the ordeal quick, just as they prefered. Just head down one of the many entrances to the city, wander through the city, go to the library, read, take some books, then walk out.

And then they flew away from Egg Engines, still clutching the kit.


	3. Chapter 3

"Don't bite the scroll, Magolor, it's important," Galacta poked the kit's face until he let go of the paper. The gaho had started teething a few months after they had started taking care of him, and wouldn't stop nibbling everything he could get his floaty paws on.

Most of the time, the puffball offered him feathers, toys or even rocks, but it wasn't exactly easy to control what the kit wanted to bite. And there were few things that could keep the kit entertained in the caves they usually used as shelter from the climate outside.

"What is," The kit tried to bite Galacta's glove, but gave up when they gently tapped the kit with their wing, "Mahoor."

"You. You are Magolor," The puffball pointed at the kit, "Magolor."

Apparently, most members of Magolor's species had names that were variations of ancient words or phrases, usually barely recognizable from the originals. Galacta wasn't too sure whenever or not gahos even knew what their names meant. They had met several around the underground city and the edges of Egg Engines, yet they all said their names without missing a beat, even if they were quite unpleasant jamba words. So they made sure his name followed a similar vein.

But they really should've aimed for an easier name to pronunciate.

"Mahoor."

Well, that was close enough for a young child. It would come with time.

Just like any other skill, Galacta hoped. They weren't a stranger to teaching younglings a thing or two, but it mostly had to do with fighting and combat etiquette, as well as knighthood. They did know how to instil a sense of respect, politeness and duty in squires. But teaching a child how to talk, how to read, how to count, and most importantly, how to use magic from scratch were things they knew they would have to deal with as time passed and Magolor grew older. They were somewhat lucky the kit picked up things relatively quick, just a few months and he knew some words perfectly. 

Their eyes went back to the spell scroll, trying to focus on the few sentences it had detailed, trying to make sense of the mix of words from the planet's language and older tongues. Magic had never been the warrior's suit, as they always had valued their weapons and wings over any spells.

But they had to learn too, for their child's sake.

"Magolor, don't bite the other end either."

"Sorry."

So he started scratching the cave's walls with his little claws.

* * *

It smelt like something was on fire, which was pretty much the norm on Halcandra. Half of the planet was an active volcano, or had blazing meteors raining from the sky on a regular basis, and in the city and its surrounding, many tests with plasma and fire cannons were performed. But the scent was awfully close, and they guessed whatever was burning had to be inside the cave they were staying in.

"PA! Look!" Magolor held a piece of cloth that had a tip on fire. Fire that was strangely pink.

So that was what it was.

However, the way his eyes shone and the fact his ears were perked up high left Galacta confused, even more so than the color of the fire. Fire wasn't a new thing to Magolor, the puffball had made sure to teach him how dangerous it was, yet he seemed so excited to show the little flame to his parent.

"I...see it's on fire, Magolor. You shouldn't pick up things on fire, they-"

The gaho grinned, fangs showing from under his brown fur, "I made it!" He spun in the air, still clutching the cloth with his gloved paws, "I set it on fire! With magic! Myself!"

With magic.

Galacta's eyes went wide. Their son's first spell was setting something on fire.

"OH, that's incredible, Magolor!" The puffball couldn't hide the excitement in their voice, and it definitely spread to the kit too, "Look at that! It's still burning!"

All fear of their house burning down had to be pushed aside, at least for a moment. From their understanding, a gaho's first spell was important. Perhaps as important as the first time a puffball used a copy ability or grew wings.

So Galacta would treat it as such.

They pushed their mask back to show their grinning face, and held Magolor with their hands as high as they could, "Wonderful job! Look at you, son! Already using spells!"

The kit started laughing and cheering for himself, and in their joy, they both completely overlooked calling each other pa and son for the first time.

* * *

After an incident in which Magolor tried to touch a pool of lava, Galacta realized they both needed a safer place to live. While an adult puffball like themselves could survive anywhere, a small gaho kitten had a lot of possibilities of getting hurt just from his curiosity alone.

Halcandra, that awful burning planet, was his species' natural habitat, or at least the only planet where gahos knew the species lived in. They were used to living underground, and to eating generally anything they could get their paws on. And with just putting a robe on, it was easy to keep ash off their fur.

But it didn't mean it was an ideal place to raise a child in. Far from it.

However, leaving the planet was more difficult than the puffball expected. Meteors were a hazard on the ground, but on the sky they could be even worse, and most other planets were quite a distance away. Flying off to space alone was not a good idea, doing it with a child was even worse.

So, the best they could settle with was Egg Engines. The least fire filled part of Halcandra, and with a proximity to the city. They couldn't bring themselves to make their home underground, not with all the machinery sounds and the feeling of being trapped under miles of steel and rocks.

A house on the surface was what they came up with. It took a few days of building, but the dome shaped house was enough to lift Galacta's spirits slightly, and to accommodate both of them. Much better than any cave, and with a few trips to the city they managed to gather clothes to make decent enough beds, as well as a small battery powered radio and furniture.

It didn't have electricity or water but those weren't issues. And Galacta had some hope that they wouldn't live in it forever.

One day, they had promised themselves, they would take Magolor to a green paradise for a better life. With lush forests, clear seas and temperate climate.

But for the time being, the kit was perfectly happy with their little house, hiding under piles of clothes away from smoke and ash while reading a book, under a solid roof. And that was enough for Galacta. 

As a matter of fact, Magolor grew a bit too content with staying inside the house at all times.

The kid was a bit of a scholar, and didn't show much interest in socializing. The interest for magic and ancient tales he showed left Galacta slightly concerned, as they didn't want the kid to dip their interest in dark jamba magic, or worse, learn that Galacta was actually a very ancient warrior that got sealed eons ago. At least not when he was still a child.

That last part was mostly paranoia, as Galacta had never seen any text that mentioned any of that, and they always double checked any book and scroll they handed Magolor before letting the kit see it. But something in the back of their mind kept reminding them.

One day they would have to tell Magolor, especially if they left Halcandra.

* * *

For Galacta, it was concerning that Magolor didn't care about making friends with other kids his age. He would rather spend all day reading about magic and history than playing.

They tried to get him to study with the halcandran mages, hoping like minded individuals might help him open up, but it wasn't what he wanted to do, and the mages didn't accept children as students. Instead of wanting to learn disciplined magic use, Magolor kept testing spells he read about, and trying to make up new ones.

Not to mention, the kid had some sort of dislike for the inner parts of the city, not that Galacta could blame him though, they didn't like it either.

They didn't think life was quite the same if they couldn't see the stars every night. It felt like a huge part of being alive, looking up to the sky and seeing the shining dots, planets and constellation far away. Many places Galacta had visited in the past were surely still out there, perhaps one of them was one of those countless stars.

Magolor showed great interest in the stars as well, and the puffball was more than happy to tell him all about them. The kit's yellow eyes lit up whenever they named a constellation or spoke about another planet, and he soaked up all information like a sponge, and always had some question to ask.

He also wanted to know about space travel, which amused Galacta. It was really easy to catch the kit's attention by talking about star vessels, and any book with information about them became one of his favorites in no time.

One day, Galacta wanted to get him a ship. Perhaps as a birthday gift, when he was older.

The stars called to Magolor, and Galacta wanted to make sure their son got to chase his calling. 


	4. Chapter 4

They saw a light, and a puffball with a sword in front of them. Pink and wingless, just a child, much like Magolor. Yet it charged forward, full of courage.

And Galacta spread their wings, knocking out some furniture to the floor, and they fumbled in the dark to try to find their mask. Breathing heavily, and with shaking hands and tears filled eyes, they put it on as the memory blurred out.

It was just a dream. Yet it shaked the warrior to the core. 

The idea of waking up one day, spear and shield in hand, to fight some stranger again and get sealed again was one of their worst fears. Even as the years had faded those visions, something cold and and sharp wrapped around their heart whenever they thought about it. 

Out of all things, out of all foes and monsters they had fought through the universe and centuries, nothing scared them more than not seeing the kit again.

They couldn't get trapped again. Never again. What would happen to their son if they were gone?

"Pa?" Said kit was tugging at their wing, tone frantic, probably from listening to the puffball hyperventilate, "What's going on? Are you okay?"

They pulled the kit into a hug, relief washing over them as they realized Magolor was okay. Everything was okay. They were still at home, in Halcandra. The stars and lava shining in the distance through the window felt so comforting. Even the soft sound of machinery coming from Egg Engines felt welcome.

Magolor waited a few minutes before asking again, "Pa?"

With a deep sigh, the puffball let go, "Yes. Yes. I'm fine, Magolor."

The kit's yellow eyes narrowed, glowing clearly in the dark. 

"You sure?"

"Yes, Magolor," Galacta patted the top of his head, flattening his ears against his head, "Apologies for scaring you."

His ears remained in place, as he kept staring at Galacta with the same narrowed eyes. Still wanting to know more. They sighed again, the kit was curious about every single thing, and on top of that was smart. Not every child could understand spells and space physics at a young age.

"It was just a dream," Galacta patted him again, hoping he would get fed up with it and go back to sleep.

He didn't. 

"A nightmare?"

The puffball's wings tensed up visibly for a split second, before the rational part of their brain reminded them that nightmare was in fact a word, and that Magolor did not mean to ask about an ancient wizard.

However, the kit picked up their reaction and his expression only became more confused.

"...Yes. Yes, a nightmare," Galacta said, somewhat apprehensive. Magolor's memory was quite good, so anything they told him probably would stick with him, "I was fighting someone and…they were much stronger than I thought."

"Oh…um," Magolor blinked, ears and face drooping slightly, "Did you...lose?"

A small chuckle escaped their mouth. In those visions, they always lost, no matter how many tricks they pulled. So much for "the strongest warrior in the galaxy."

But looking at the kit's worried expression, and hearing the apprehension in his voice…

"No, never," The puffball forced a smile under the mask, even if Magolor couldn't see it, "No one can beat your pa!"

At that, he rolled his eyes with a small laugh, and Galacta took the chance to pull the hood of the robe from the kit's head to ruffle his fur.

"Noooo!" The kit smacked at his mask before pulling the hood back up, and the puffball started laughing, making the kit laugh too, "Come on, man!"

Honesty was quite important for a knight, but it didn't hurt to tell one or two lies, did it? It wasn't as if Magolor was going to grow up to be prone to lying or anything.

* * *

"Do I really have to learn, pa?" Magolor gripped a metal pole with his paws.

"Yes," Galacta held an identical pole, the closest thing they could find to a mock weapon, "I made the mistake of focusing on only one type of combat, and on several occasions I almost paid the price for my confidence," They pointed the pole forward, hoping the gaho would mimic the pose, "If you want to venture on your own, it is in your best interest to have familiarity with weapons. Otherwise I will have to accompany you wherever you go."

Magolor rolled his eyes as he held the pole in a similar fashion as the puffball, not bothering to argue, but not putting any real care into it.

They sighed as quietly as they could, as Magolor got older and started growing out of the young kit life stage, it had become quite a chore to get him to learn things that weren't related to magic, space or history. Yet, his curiosity and a growing sense of independence that came with age made him want to go out to the world and explore, much to Galacta's concern.

As far as they were concerned, Magolor still was their little kit.

But they didn't feel like it was right to keep him from exploring. After all, back when Galacta was Magolor's age, they already were running around their home star, seeing all sorts of wonderful places and people at a young age.

"It's too low, you can hold a spear with a single paws," Galacta poked Magolor with the pole, getting a glare from him, "You have a great advantage you must never forget. Your detached paws allow for a much wider range of movement with held weapons."

Not that the gaho cared. The fact his eyes kept drifting to the sky above them, or to the flashes of light from Egg Engines in the distance gave it away.

"Are you paying attention, son?"

"Wh-yeah," He switched the pole to his other paw and held it in a different position, "Totally."

Galacta couldn't even bring themselves to be a harsh teacher with the kid, even if he lied to their face. Years of attachment had softened them up, and they finally understood why other knights used to say it was a bad idea to coach students they knew personally.

"Magolor, pay attention. This is serious," The puffball hit the ground with their pole, "There are many, many dangers in Halcandra alone. There are monsters you cannot imagine further away in the cosmos."

"Uh, huh, you always say that."

"Because it's true. I've seen and fought many of them. The universe is deadly and treacherous."

"Well, why does that matter?" With a huff, Magolor dropped the pole, "Are you trying to train me to be the next warrior of the stars or something? Training me to make me your sidekick to protect the galaxy or whatever?"

The puffball shook their head. Many years before, before their imprisonment, perhaps that would've been true. The idea of raising a child and training them to follow in their footsteps as the galaxy's defender...It sounded admirable.

But after the way everyone turned on them? After saving them?

They all could go to hell.

"Truth be told, Magolor," They picked up the pole the gaho dropped, and offered it to him again, "I plan on us leaving Halcanda one day. But the travel itself could be much more dangerous than anything you've ever-"

"WOAH, woah, leave Halcandra!?" His eyes went wide as his ears tilted forward, interest definitely sparked, "Are you serious!?"

With a chuckle, Galacta nodded, "Yes. When you're older, and know how to fight, we will be ready to go. I already have a few planets in mind that could be good new homes."

They nudged the pole forward, and Magolor took it with a different expression. A tad more focused and serious than before.

"...so if I learn this spear thing, we'll leave faster?"

"Exactly."

Magolor gripped the practice weapon and struck a dramatic pose with zero sense of poise, that drew a few chuckles from the knight.

"What are we waiting for then!?"

* * *

Herbs, ferns, moss and some more clothes. More paper. More charcoal too. Galacta tapped the table before writing down a few things more on the list, while Magolor watched impatiently.

Usually, Galacta would go do the scavenging as it was faster the ability to fly over debris and rocks, or take Magolor with them to keep an eye on him or to not leave him alone at home, but there was no denying it anymore. Magolor was old enough to go on his own, and they had to make sure the gaho could survive on his own, if anything ever happened to Galacta.

And because as years and decades passed, it dawned on the aging puffball that Magolor would most likely outlive them. There were no clear records about how old puffballs could live for, as many died from battle wounds instead of age or natural causes. Their species was known for being prone to fighting, especially each other, so who really knew how long they could go on if they didn't get into fights anymore. But one thing was for sure, the gaho was about to start his teen life stage at around a few centuries, and Galacta was several thousand of years old at that point, already older than a good deal of other puffballs they had known back in the day. The possibility that an adult Magolor might not have his parent around anymore was a depressing and worrisome one for the puffball, but so was life.

They would make sure their son was prepared to bear with life alone, if it were to happen.

"Here, that should be all," Galacta handed the small paper to the mage, who took it eagerly, "Anything with a mark to the right isn't essential. You can wander off but make sure you never lose sight of Egg Engines, it will help you guide you back home."

"Got it! I'll be quick!" The gaho stashed the list in his scarf, which still was a bit too big for his body. But Galacta hoped he would grow into it.

He turned to the door after fixing his clothes in place, while the knight fought all urges of offering to go with him, or following him from a distance.

They had to trust Magolor. He was smart, experienced with magic and cautious.

But also awfully curious, and insisted that taming the dangerous flying killing machines known as spheres doomers was possible.

"Wait," Galacta said, and heard as Magolor sighed right at the doorstep.

They took their shield and spear, brushing off some dirt from them and handed them to Magolor. The weapons hadn't seen use in centuries, and the puffball had expected to never use them again, only keeping them as keepsakes and memories of friends.

The fuchsia colored steel still was as reflective as when their mentor had first handed it to Galacta, so many years ago. They could see Magolor's frowning face perfectly reflected on it.

"...aren't these like super old and important?" He asked, taking them tentatively, not wanting to seem rude by refusing.

"Yes, but I know they will help you stay safe," They knocked on the shield, "Weapons, armor and shields get handed down generation after generation."

They had distinct memories of their own father giving them their mask, and the proud look on the puffball's eyes. They probably would never be ready to part with. Plus, it wouldn't work for Magolor at all, and the rest of their armor wouldn't fit him either.

But maybe one day, they'd make him one.

For a moment they both stared at each other eye to eye, before Magolor nodded.

"Okay. Thanks, pa. I promise I'll be careful."

Galacta smiled, "I know you will, son."


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, pa, have you ever seen a clockwork star?"

From the top of some red rocks, Galacta's eyes stopped surveying the horizon, and their attention went to the gaho floating right behind them. Exploring Halcandra by foot was a fun family bonding experience, but it seemed to bore Magolor's mind quite a bit, as he would always come up with questions all through the trips. Not that Galacta minded.

"Yes, it is true that they grant wishes, but some can be tricksters," They said, "I even saw one being built."

Magolor's ears perked up instantly, "Oh! Really? I thought they all had been built in ancient times!"

Galacta shifted, feathers ruffling up slightly with the light feeling of guilt. They didn't want to lie, or to withdraw admittedly important information from Magolor, but the boy was smart. He would pick up on the most casual off-hand comment, and latch onto it with many further questions, until he figured out everything he wanted to know.

They looked at Magolor, who's expression was growing more and more confused the longer the puffball stayed quiet. One ear tilted, the other still up, and with furrowed brows, still with the exact same eyes he had as a kit.

But he already was old enough to understand, and…well, if all were according to plan, maybe they would leave Halcandra in the near future. He could run into something that mentioned it…

"They were," Galacta spoke slowly, choosing their words carefully as their gaze went up to the stars, "I was alive back then."

"...what?" Magolor's voice carried incredulity, but not doubt, "But…but…it's been _eons_."

"I'm well aware of that…"

"Nothing can live that long!"

Galacta almost corrected him that yes, several creatures, if powered by dark forces, could in fact live that long. Immortality wasn't impossible with the right spells.

But that wasn't the reason, and they didn't want the young wizard to become interested in twisted magic or powerful artifacts.

"I was…I'm a special case," They ignored the slight waver in their voice, "I was sealed inside a magical prison for all of that time."

A silence fell between them, and the puffball took a few moments to steel themselves to spill everything. The wind picked up ash and smoke, roaring from the volcano in the distance, but never spewing enough material to completely obscure the stars.

"Once, I was a great warrior," The puffball kept their eyes fixed on the sky, "Galacta Knight, I earned my title at a young age, I had no rivals to my strength and courage, and as my kin realized my potential, I was sent to the stars to follow my calling: Protecting the galaxy.

I've seen all sorts of stars, Magolor, creatures of darkness do not discriminate on who they attack. For years, I fought alone, only with my spear and shield to defend those who couldn't fight for themselves.

Then, a god was born. From the darkest of magics, the most vile of intentions and the most destructive of emotions. It only knew about death, and it wanted to bring it the whole universe. And I couldn't fight it alone.

So, I thought I couldn't. But there were three other warriors, who's spirits and desire to save everyone motivated me to join them, and all of us, together, defeated that nightmare. We sealed it so it could never come back, then we went our separate ways.

But…the universe grew afraid. Of us. Of me. For defeating such a terrifying monster. And they whispered, they murmured plans of getting rid of us before we turned on them.

We would've never done such a thing. But the fear of power was too great to ignore…they turned on me, and sealed me away."

Galacta's fist clenched tightly before it hit the ground, a large crack forming on the ground, snapping them away from the memories and visions flashing in their eyes, as burning tears started to spill out from under their mask. 

And finally, their voice broke, defeated, "After all I did for them…"

No sobs, no heavy breathing, only bitterness that poisoned every inch of their body, the exact feeling that the elders and heroes before them warned of harboring. Rage that made their hands and wings shake, at the mere memory of one of their friends telling them it was for the greater good, before charging at them with magic. Sadness, that it had been so long, it was way too late to say goodbye, to explain to the people that knew them what happened to them. To not let them think they had been rightfully sealed.

And shame at breaking down in front of Magolor.

Who just watched speechless as his parent trembled and cried.

All words died on his throat, the feeling that anything he said wouldn't help was overwhelming, and he was tempted to stay where he was until Galacta calmed down.

But a stronger want to help made him rush to their side and wrap his paws around them, in the best attempt at a hug he could do, and the knight pulled him under one of their wings as the shaking started weakening.

"People will try to bring you down if you have great power, Magolor," Their voice was starting to steady itself already, "Be wary. Be careful."

"I will be, pa… I don't think I have to worry anyways, how could I even get ultra powerful like you, huh?" He tried to nudge Galacta's elbows, and pushed his tone to sound light-hearted hoping it would lift the mood, or change the topic. Anything to not make the puffball upset again.

And it worked. It got a chuckle out of the warrior.

"With ancient artifacts," They answered as they lifted their mask to dry their face, "So never use them, okay?"

"What if I ask permission?"

With a smile, Galacta bonked the top of Magolor's head with their wing. And the gaho squeaked in protest, before pulling away from the hug. 

"I'll ground you if you ever get near one."

"Wow, lame."

* * *

It was somewhat relieving when Magolor started going out alone more often. The knight wasn't exactly happy with their son going off to who knows where without supervision or telling them where he was going, but they also understood the gaho's growing independence.

No kid could have their parent watch over their shoulder at all times all throughout their life, and the knight trusted their son enough to come back home safe at a reasonable hour.

And while Galacta didn't want to jump to conclusions, they were hoping Magolor was hanging out with friends. Having grown up with no friends his age had concerned the puffball for years, as most gahos they'd seen in the city and Egg Engines were surrounded by siblings or friends. But any attempts to push their son to socialize had been unfruitful.

So they just had let it go, believing it would be better to let Magolor seek to make friends with his own rhythm, whenever he felt ready.

Galacta took whatever time Magolor wasn't home to go to the city on their own. After so many years of living right beside it, and visiting often, the chills that went down their spine at the sound of machinery were mostly in the past. Walking through the dimly illuminated streets was much more comfortable, as long as they only stayed down there for less than a few hours.

Buildings and pipes, as well as many metal beams and cables stretches to the top of the caverns and tunnels, trying to provide support for the roof while maximizing the usable space, especially in the larger caves.

It was easy to get lost, so the knight didn't take time to wander and explore. They headed down a familiar street, giving small waves and nods to some halcandrans they had interacted with in the past, and into a store they knew well.

"Good day, miss Jokko," They greeted the shop-keeper, a relative of a gaho that many years ago had helped them find the library for books to learn about Magolor's species, and quickly put a bag over the counter, "I'm looking for new robes for my son."

"Good day, mister Galacta," She took the bag with a hum, checking what was inside, "Any color in particular?"

"None really, just get me the best ones you have."

With a nod, she put a few clothes in a bag, then put it on the counter, "Pleased to make business with you."

"Likewise, tell Jetty I say hi."

They hid the bag under their wing before leaving the store, trying to push down lingering feelings of guilt. Trading stolen scrolls and scavenged items from unfortunate people that had lost their lives to the elements on the surface never felt right. Knowing they only would get traded under the table more and more down the line, possibly never returning to their rightful owners, nor to the deceased's family. But without a job, they did what they had to do to get nice things for Magolor.

At the end of the day, it was worth it.


	6. Chapter 6

When Magolor came home one day much earlier than usual, fidgeting with his gloves and robes, and with twitching ears, it didn't take more than one look at him for Galacta to understand something was going on.

Something they probably wouldn't like.

"Welcome home, Magolor," They greeted him, closing the book they were reading to let him know he had their full attention, "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Well, yeah..." Magolor looked to a side, and Galacta waited for him to continue, "Remember what you said about grounding me if I got near an ancient artifact?"

Galacta's wings and eyes dropped, giving their son the best deadpan stare they could muster, even with the mask on. 

"In my defense!" The gaho held up his hands in the air, "I didn't know she was ancient before I started fixing her, _and_ I came home as soon as I realized! That counts for something, right?"

"Please explain exactly how this happened, Magolor."

He took a deep breath, "Okay. Okay. So I was scavenging one day, and I found a cave, and there was a broken ship inside! So I started fixing her! I was going to tell you, I just kept forgetting."

"A ship…" Galacta sighed. Of course, the young wizard probably had more than enough knowledge to have an idea of what he was doing, and more than enough interest in it that he would start fixing it without hesitation.

"Also she can talk."

"She can _what_."

* * *

An ancient, talking, sentient, semi-functional spaceship that their son was fixing on his own. Every further detail that Magolor mentioned sounded more and more outlandish, and the feeling that it was all one joke kept piling onto Galacta. How could they have gone centuries exploring and flying over Halcandra, yet never discovered such a thing?

But it was undeniable when Magolor took them to a cave in Dangerous Dinner, nearby to the huge volcano, and showed them the light blue vessel laying near the entrance, just casually stationed beside a river of lava. A mostly intact starcutter style star vessel. Had been right there. All along.

"Hi, Lor, I'm back!" Magolor shouted after leading them inside.

However, no one replied.

"Huh, that's weird, she usually answers immediately," He muttered before heading to the control panel, "Lor?"

While the gaho checked the status of the ship, Galacta stood frozen in place. Still somewhat in shock at the sheer unbeliveness of it all, and growing more and more shocked by the second.

Those light blue walls. They knew them. They had walked next to them, talked to people as they walked through the ship.

That name. Lor. They knew it.

The Lor Starcutter, the very ship that once took four great heroes toward Void Termina.

"This cannot be real…" 

"I know, I know. It's totally unexpected, pa, but we always avoided this area because of the rivers and proximity to the volcano."

"That's not it, Magolor," Galacta put a hand against one of the walls to support themselves, "I need a moment…"

Silence fell between them as the knight steadied themselves, and Magolor stopped trying to figure out what was wrong with the ship to float to their side, looking concerned.

"Hello, Magolor" A sudden, unknown, buzzing voice made Galacta snap to fighting position despite not carrying their weapons, and they pulled Magolor under one of their wings, "Hello, Lord Galacta."

They swore under their breath as their body tensed, but the gaho next to them jumped with joy before slipping from under the feathers.

"Hi, Lor! Pa, that's just the Lor. It's okay."

Still with some apprehension, they closed their wings and relaxed their posture, eyes darting around, hoping to see some other living creature nearby. They had been hoping, very badly, that the whole talking ship part wasn't literal.

But apparently that wasn't the case.

"...hello," They said after giving up looking around, "Lor Starcutter."

"I am glad that you remember me, Lord Galacta."

Shivers went down their spine whenever she spoke, and their body kept tensing with horror.

"Wait," Magolor was looking at them with wide eyes, "You know each other?"

"Yes," The knight backed off away from the Lor's wall, "But...she didn't used to...talk."

"That happened a few decades after the Termina incident," The Lor's disembodied voice showed close to no emotion, "A life-granting spell from Lord Hyness made it possible."

A spell. A life-granting spell.

Galacta grabbed Magolor by the back of the scarf and ran out of the ship, dragging him along and ignoring his squeaks of protest. Once outside, they grabbed him with both arms and didn't waste a second before taking to the skies, quickly flying away from the cave.

"PA-what are you DOING-" The gaho didn't try to struggle, as being dropped from a high altitude at a high velocity to the rocky and burning ground was not a good idea, even for if he could float.

"Magolor, that ship is twisted to its core," Galacta steadied their flight to just gliding to speak clearly, "It's alive because of jamba magic."

Jamba magic, the only one that could give life to the dead. It wasn't too surprising it could give life to something that never should've been alive to begin with, but it was troubling. Who knew what other sort of things had that type of magic in there too? 

Leaving Halcandra used to be just about finding a better place to live, now the idea felt extremely pressing. They had to get their son away from a place with dark magic. Soon.

"Listen, I get it, but she's not evil or anything, pa! Once I get her fixed, we-"

Their grip around the gaho tightened as their imagination flashed with twisted images of their son toying with spells of dark matter, like many wizards they had battled. Led to insanity in pursues of powers only corrupted magic and artifacts could offer.

"Magolor. You will not continue repairing the ship. You cannot get near it again, understood?"

With lowered ears, and a defeated tone, Magolor sighed.

"Yeah, understood."

He didn't even try to tell Galacta about the Master Crown.

* * *

Every time he left home after that, a voice in his head kept telling him to look back. To make sure Galacta wasn't following him, that they weren't suspecting anything. And perhaps they were, but Magolor did everything he could to try to throw them off. Going into town every so often, coming back home with some scavenged items, never bringing it up the Lor Starcutter in conversation.

But he visited her every week. For a few years. Always going back to her, to what she could help him gain.

With time, it had become a routine, something so casually done that the guilt of going behind Galacta's back to continue fixing the ship had been pushed to the back of his mind.

Because if everything went according to plan, it would be amazing! They could leave Halcandra safely, and find a better home. Head through the stars, through spaces and comets, visit places his parent missed, bring some happy memories back to them.

Better than all of that though…

Scrolls rumored that there was something on top of the volcano. An extremely powerful artifact, the Master Crown, with more than enough power to shape the world, perhaps even the whole universe! 

While the Lor couldn't confirm its existence, he knew that with her help, flying up there would be very easy. If the rumors were false it would be no big deal, they would just convince Galacta to get onto the Starcutter and leave the planet, then let her fly off wherever she wanted, so the knight wouldn't worry about having her around. A very solid plan.

But if the crown was real…

Memories of their parent shaking at thinking about their imprisonment made Magolor's fist clench. An universe that just turned their back on Galacta? The kind Galacta he knew? 

It was unlikely that the Master Crown had enough power to travel through time, and even if it, that was a whole can of worms the gaho knew he shouldn't mess with, but maybe… 

Maybe he could at least make sure that the souls of those fools were in hell.

And he could make sure the Lor wasn't twisted like Galacta thought.

Either way, it was worth it.

* * *

"Hey, pa, I'm going out!" Magolor kept his tone light-hearted, trying to keep all anxiety off his mind as he clutched a bag under his robes.

A bag that had the last energy sphere he needed to make the Lor Starcutter fly for the first time in thousands of years.

"Alright, have fun," Galacta glanced up from the book they were reading, "Don't forget the spear and shield. And be careful."

"I will! Promise," He took the weapon before rushing outside, excitement and guilt making his mind buzz all over the place, yellow eyes locked forward on the path to Dangerous Dinner.

For what felt like the first time in forever, the puffball walked to the door to see as their son's white and blue robe got lost in the distance, between the red and brown rocks, and the few stars visible between the heavy plumes of smoke.

A voice in the back of their mind told them to follow him. To fly after him, to track his movements from a distance.

But they didn't. Galacta trusted their son, after all.

And they kept on trusting him. For years, he had been travelling alone. He was smart, knew Halcandra and it's dangers. He had magic, and his weapons. In Galacta's eyes, their son was ready for adventures of his own. Soon, they would take him through the stars to find a better planet.

Even as they heard the volcano roar at volumes they had never, in centuries, heard before. They trusted he would be fine.

Even as the hours passed, and the smoke and ashes covered the stars for the first time they had ever seen it, they trusted he would come back, walk through the door at any moment and shout about being back.

But of course. 

Magolor never came back home. 


End file.
